Praxis Cellars and Arbios Cellars are the creation of Bill Arbios, who made a name for himself creating red blends in California before it became popular to do so. Bill worked as winemaker for several wineries, and designed a couple of wineries as well. Eventually he decided to go out on his own so he could have the freedom to make wine the way he wanted to.
Bill now makes 100% varietal wines, which is more difficult to do. It requires attention to detail in the vineyard through out the growing season, you can't make good wine from bad grapes. How the grapes are handled once they begin the winemaking process also makes a big difference in how the wine presents itself.
The Arbios Cellars Cabernet comes from Bill's own 21 acre vineyard planted at between 1600' and 2000' in Alexander Valley. There are 6 different clones of Cab, all selected for their small berry size and intense flavors (One of the clones came from the famed To Kalon vineyard in Napa) and is sustainably grown.
The grapes for the Praxis wines come from sustainably farmed vineyards chosen for their location and quality.
This 100% Pinot Noir comes from a vineyard at the southern end of the Sonoma Coast appellation, at the border of the Carneros appellation known for its cool climate growing producing beautiful Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.
Upon opening, notes of cherry, raspberry, earth, violets, vanilla and spice in the glass, it has flavors of raspberries, plums, mild cherry, the mouthfeel is soft but it's balanced by just right acidity. It's so interesting to sip on, there are subtle flavors that I couldn't quite pinpoint lingering into a nice finish with a spice note.... delicious!
In this part of the country the only way to buy Bill's wines is to join their wine club. It is one of the most reasonable cost clubs I've seen, $50 to join (which includes a wine surprise) and $25 per quarter. Each quarterly shipment includes 1 or 2 bottles at a great discount, and a 25% discount for that quarters wines ordered within 30 days of receiving your shipment. So you only spend as much or little as you want...
I can vouch that all the wines are well made, and quite tasty. The Cabernet is very good, ages beautifully, and at $35 per bottle a great value for a wine of this caliber. On top of that they are nice people who care for the land and their wine country neighbors.
Cheers, arbioscellars.com PraxisCellars.com
Ed.
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